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Another title joins the axe pile with its second issue: FIRESTORM. That was just NO fun at all.

meanwhile, JL DARK & JLI were great!

Frankenstein #3 - I think this is a book where the concepts outpace the execution to a large degree. "Frankenstein and the Commandos take on an entire planet of monsters", sounds crazy cool and fun, but its so far been a little underwhelming. The art is still a bot of a turn-off for me as well. This is slowly drifting to the bottom of my reading list.

Demon Knights #3 This was the most I've enjoyed this book since it launched (and I enjoyed the first two issues). The "team" is stuck int eh village under siege by the Horde. Madame Xanadu sacrifices her youth to buy them some time and the various players use it to prepare for the bloody conflict to come.

We finally get some better character pieces, more Shinning Knight (hooray!), Etrigan proving he's no hero, and Vandal Savage shines again. This book is really hitting its stride and my nitpicks about pacing and voice in previous issues have melted away. Book of the week for me.

Good to hear, Dave... this has been one of my favorite Nu52 books.

Really excited to hear Challengers of the Unknown is going to be the second story arc in DC Comics Presents (#6-10)! It's always been one of my favorite concepts!

And with Jerry Ordway as artist and co-writer, it actually should be quite good! Dan Didio is also co-writer but his teaming with an excellent creator is working on OMAC, so I'm okay with it. It really looks like they're going to make this work in the same spirit of Kirby's original with modern sensibilities.

I also expect Deadman will spin into his own ongoing, which I'll definitely get as it's well-deserved: it's been an utterly fantastic series so far!

Looking back on my 'State of the DCNu' list a few months back, I realized I had a lot of titles I was on the fence about. I can safely say now that the third issues are rolling out that I've finally made an opinion on almost all of them.

- WONDER WOMAN - I've fallen into like with this title as of the second issue. I knew it had the potential to, but seeing more of Diana, the Gods, and how the 'horror genre' element is used to compliment all these existing WW concepts is very intriguing. Keeping.

- FLASH - I've decided to keep it for a bit. It's still a pretty book and once I admit that Barry bores me a little, I realize the story and ensemble cast aren't bad and help carry things. Will definitely finish the first arc.

- FURY OF FIRESTORM - Interestingly, I felt the story progressed in this title yet every step killed my interest. I don't know if Jason vs Ronnie is unappealing or if it's too much drama too suddenly for characters I'm only familiar with via stereotypes. Dropped.

- TEEN TITANS - The title actually picked up for a me a lot in the second issue. It's nice to see everyone so far a bit more human or reflective of their old selves in little moments. Kind of excited to see Solstice instead of a brand new character and I have to admit to being intrigued about Bunker and Bugg (I forget her new name already - whoops) now; moreso than I am with Superboy or Kid Flash. Keeping.

- JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL, NIGHTWING, SUPERGIRL - These are the titles that vex me a little. I keep them but they don't always click for me. I like Supergirl a lot, but the pacing is slow. JLI is a great concept and I love a lot of the characters, but this isn't even doing the Generation Lost storyline/cast justice. Nightwing is a good enough book with nice art and story, yet, like always, Mr. Grayson's solo tales only hold my interest for so long. These titles will outlast the ones below for me, but I can see them being cut next.

- GREEN LANTERN CORPS, HAWK AND DOVE, RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, RED LANTERNS, SUICIDE SQUAD - These books weren't exceptional, but the subject matter or characters are intriguing enough for me to want to take a peek at least one more issue. These are the titles I still haven't made a final decision about.

- SUPERBOY - Despite the fact I really liked the story solely for Superboy in the first issue, my interest has waned on him, Ravager, and the lab setting. I actually was going to drop the book at #3, having only stayed on for Fairchild, until her cliffhanger revelation. Dang them. They'll get another two issues out of me now probably.

- BLUE BEETLE, DEMON KNIGHTS, STATIC SHOCK, STORMWATCH - Somewhere in reading the second (BB, DK, SS) or third (SW) issues of these titles I had the epiphany that they weren't doing it for me. Most of these I was expecting for that to be the case. A few were disappointing revelations as I liked the concepts, but the book had yet to connect with me.

- DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS, DETECTIVE COMICS, SAVAGE HAWKMAN - The scary thing about these books is that I told myself I'd give them all a fair shake or were surprised by the first issue. Yet when it came time to pick up the second issue, I just ... never did. Normally I'd find it weird and go back for them, but when I'm juggling so many titles sometimes you just have to take it as a sign and trust your impulses. Perhaps I'll re-visit these books in the future, but not right now.

I decided to pick up NEW GUARDIANS # 2 instead of GL CORPS.

I am surprised how much I'm enjoying Kyle! I guess I missed him more than I knew. I'll stay with this for a bit longer.

I made a big run to the CBS during lunch and got (4) weeks of comics in one sitting. Which, btw, is never a fun thing to do your checking account. But even though I haven’t read week #4 of the 2nd month I think I have a pretty firm idea of which comics I’ll be collecting going forward with only a handful up in the air for month 3 & beyond.

A+
Action Comics
Batman
Batwoman
Flash
Men of War
Animal Man
Wonder Woman
All-Star Western
Superman – haven’t read #2 yet
DC Comics Presents: Deadman

Very Good, no question will continue to buy
Justice League
Justice League Dark
Swamp Thing
Detective Comics
Batwing
Birds of Prey
Green Lantern
Nightwing
Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE
Aquaman
Catwoman
The Shade
OMAC
Static Shock
Grifter
Stormwatch
Legion of Superheroes
*Legion: Origins – haven’t actually read it yet but I’m 99.9% sure I’ll buy it no matter what
Superboy

B- Range, Certainly good enough to keep buying
Legion Lost
Supergirl
Justice League International
Demon Knights
Batman & Robin
Green Lantern Corps
Green Arrow

On the Bubble
Voodoo – haven’t read #2 yet but hearing Ron Marz is off gives me cause to re-evaluate once new creative team is here.
Hawk & Dove – like it well enough to continue but I may grow tired of no-backgrounds on Liefield’s art.
Fury of Firestorm – in all likelihood I’ll continue buying but it’s got serious issues.
Teen Titans – need to read #2
Captain Atom – kind of “blah”, but one of my Dad’s favorite characters
Blue Beetle
Savage Hawkman – need to read #2
New Guardians – need to read #2
The Dark Knight – need to read #

Dropped
Red Lanterns
Suicide Squad
I, Vampire
Blackhawks
Red Hood & the Outlaws
Batgirl
Mr. Terrific
Resurrection Man
My Greatest Adventure

Never Tried
Deathstroke – the only series I did not sample from the original DCnU
Huntress miniseries
Penguin miniseries

Plan on sampling
THUNDER Agents – loved last series, plan on continuing
The Ray

^ FYI, I read Legion: Secret Origin and it's by far the best of the 3 Legion series. Maybe close to the best of the best range.

All-Star Western has a back up featuring El Diablo where he battles a town full of zombies. By Jordi Bernet! C'mon! How could you not pick this up and love it? Fantastic main story and fantastic back-up. Don't buy into the nonsense that a western title isn't for you. It *is* for you and you just don't know it yet!

So far, only five of the new books have me eagerly awaiting the next issue:

Action Comics (This is what John Byrne was trying to do back in the 80s, but wasn't quite able to pull off. Superman actually seems fresh here.)

All-Star Western (I don't follow the Batman books and have never been particularly fond of Jonah Hex, yet somehow this Hex in 19th century Gotham City storyline works for me.)

DC Comics Presents (I was given a copy of Strange Adventures #209 while in the hospital for pneumonia during my freshman year of high school. Deadman, by Jack Miller and Neal Adams, made me realize that I hadn't outgrown comics after all. I've been waiting for a decent Deadman series ever since SA was cancelled. It looks like I may finally get my wish.)

Justice League Dark (the Shade intro in #1 was one of the creepiest things I've read in years. Ditto the things the Enchantress was tossing at people. I get the same vibe from this book as I got when I read my first Alan Moore Swamp Thing.)

Demon Knights (Possibly my favorite of the whole bunch. Paul Cornell has the potential to be one of the top writers in the business, as his Lex Luthor series last year demonstrates. He seems to have the same knack as Straczynsky for writing three-dimensional characters with believable motivations. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with a "middle-aged" Vandal Savage.)

Other than those, I'm most looking forward to the return of Earth-2 in the new Justice Society book. Maybe I'll finally get my wish for a comics universe where characters are allowed to grow and change and, yes, even retire to make way for the next generation. The first dozen issues of Infinity Inc. are still among my all-time favorite super-hero books. But like the Legion, Infinity was dealt a fatal blow by Crisis On Infinite Earths and its aftermath.

Wow, I under-estimated just how bad these two comics really were! Of all the DCnU that I was still collecting in month #2, I think these were by far the worst! Seriously--THE PITS.

As much as I love Hawkman and as much as I like Finch's artwork, I can't see myself reading either series going forward.

The final page of Red Hood & the Outlaws #3 brought a tear to my eye.
Great issue.

D'oh! Forgot it was Wednesday and didn't stop in at the store on my way to work. Looks like a lunch hour trip in in order.

Update for November (Month #3) comics:

Yup, the Deadman story in DC Comics Presents is still kicking ass! Best Deadman story EVER since his run in Strange Adventures ended! One of you posters should start a Deadman thread!

Yup, Men of War is still pretty damn impressive! A true war comic in the *modern* era that is actually delivering great stories each month! And here, we get one of those promised genre-crossovers into into the super-powered realm; originally I was dreading this but so far it works. And the back-up actually ended on a real high note IMO, going somewhere completely different than I expected.

MONTH 3

You know, writing these monthly posts helps me make up my mind about things. I´m going on a three month trip to Africa in December, and I need to tell my comic book shop which books they should keep for me. So, the time to make decisions is getting closer...

The status-quo at the moment:

NEVER BOUGHT:
Batwing, Hawk and Dove, Men of War, Omac, Static Shock, Batman and Robin, Deathstroke, Grifter, Mister Terrific, Captain Atom, Dark Knight, Blackhawks

DROPPED BEFORE NOW
I Vampire, Resurrection Man, Suicide Squad, Stormwatch, JLI

DROPPING NOW
-Red Lanterns: This book is really doing absolutely nothing for me.
-Frankenstein: No interest in any of these characters at all (except in Ray Palmer, and he is not featured enough to justify buying the comic. Gone.
-Animal Man: I have decided that I am just not into this kind of horror stuff
-Swamp Thing: Ditto.
-Catwoman: Not that this is a bad comic, I just dont want to read it :-)
-Superman: My goodness, did I ever get bored with this storyline. Lovely art, but I´m done with this.
-Hawkman: Also almost a chore to read. It´s a pity, because this is a comic that I really wanted to like.
-Flash: I have never been a fan, and after reading three issues I find that Barry Allen simply bores me. Gone.
-Firestorm: Major drop this week, I have decided that I hate this storyline. I doubt that I´ll even buy next issue.

WILL BUY FOURTH ISSUE, BUT I GREATLY DOUBT THAT I WILL CONTINUE
-Green Arrow: Mildly intrigued by the upcoming Japan storyline, so I´ll keep it for now.
-All Star Western: Hm. Not a bad comic at all, just not my cup of tea. I´ll give it one or two more issues.
-Teen Titans: I´m getting less and less interested in this. Want to see the Superboy issue, but as of now I am not impressed at all.
-Supergirl: They are actually starting to pique my curiosity with this one. What is the story of this Supergirl? I also like the villain introduced this issue. On the bubble, but not as bad as it was before.
-Detective Comics: They are getting me interested in Batman! Damn them! I really want to stop buying this, but when I am the comic shop I find myself caving in. And worst of all, I end up liking the issue! Rats!
-Birds of Prey: This is one of those who may just fall prey of the numbers, I simply can´t buy this many comic books every month. I love Black Canary and am intrigued by Poison Ivy. Katana is fine, but don´t really care at all for that fourth lady whose name I cant remember. And the current storyline is not gripping me at all.
-Superboy: Really in probation. Some aspects of this intrigue me, others leave me cold.
-Green Lantern Corps: I just love the art in this comic. This is another one of the ones that I really wanted to drop, and am finding myself unwilling to...

WILL KEEP FOR NOW
-Huntress: Gorgeous art. And the fact that it is a miniseries helps in the decision to at least finish buying it.
-Deadman: Love the Deadman story, but I am treating it as a miniseries as well. May or may not keep it when the Challengers of the Unknown story comes around, I am not a fan of them.
-Wonder Woman: I am getting to like the story, but can´t stand the art. I´ll keep at it for now.
-New Guardians: Fell quite a bit this week, I´m getting bored. But I´m not ready to drop it yet.
-Batman: This is actually a very good comic book! Not planning to drop it anytime soon.
-Blue Beetle: This kind of reminds me of the first Firestorm series, way back when, a coming of age story of a young hero. I am liking it quite a bit. I passionately HATE the Spanglish in this comic, though. THEY ARE GETTING IT WRONG! Here is my pet peeve for this month. ¨Don¨ and ¨Doña¨ are extremely polite ways of addressing someone, but in spite of this you ALWAYS, ALWAYS use their first names after the particles, not the last names. In other words, it is Don Jaime or Doña María, emphatically NOT Don García or Doña González. That just sounds so extremely wrong! No Spanish (or Spanglish) speaker would ever say that! Hrrmpf.

KEEPING AND LOVING
-Justice League Dark: Getting quite interested in these characters, especially Zatanna. Hopefully won´t get too horror-driven.
-Voodoo: Wow, who knew? I would never have thought that this comic would be in this category.
-Nightwing: Another huge surprise. I love this stuff about the circus, and Dick really is a very likeable guy.
-Batgirl: This makes me relive my youth....Used to love the Batgirl second features in a lot of Spanish language comics...
-Red Hood and the Outlaws: I keep liking this title. Quite a bit, actually.
-Green Lantern: Oh, this one is also a given. Love to read about Hal´s adventures...
-Batwoman: Major, major surprise, I would have never thought that I would end up buying this. But the art is just so gorgeous! This is really a wonderful comic.
-Demon Knights: You know how I feel about this? As I did when I started buying the Legion and didn´t know the characters very well. This has awesome potential, and I see myself becoming a rabid fan of this group (and title)
-Aquaman: This is one of the best DCnU titles out there. Geoff really gets Aquaman (and Mera), and the whole setting full of legend and mystery but really grounded in reality really works. Love it.
-Justice League: My two top comics are the ones that take place a few months (years?) before the ´current` DCnU: JL and Action. I am finding that I just LOVE to see how all these characters came to know each other. WW this month was awesome, I just loved the ice cream incident.
-Action: Ditto. I am really not a Superman fan, but this feels like a coming-of-age story with characters that I have known all my life. It´s like Superman when he was Spider Man´s age...

So there you go. A few weeks left before I have to give my CB shop my final list...

I know I love reading those posts Juan, so keep them coming!

The last issue of Red Hood & the Outlaws (#3) was very touching. Amid the barely-clad and violent action, we saw the most cherished memories of the three lead characters. Certainly Red Hood's was the most charming, and very sad in some respects. But all three made it apparent to me that we've got three damaged people - and perhaps they're together because what they've suffered has set them apart from others.

Of these, Roy Harper is the lightweight in terms of past suffering - Kory was a child slave under hideous conditions and Jason was killed, revived without a soul then had his soul restored (or something) - although he reached a point low enough to be suicidal. Roy is the lightweight as well in terms of character, in that he seems far less serious than the other two, the goof of the team. Whether that's a front or his actual character is not clear at this point.

The characters are interesting personalities, and the story is like a good old action movie. I think the book got off to a bad start with all the brouhaha about Starfire; there's a lot more to it than the titillation and violence for which it was initially condemned by .many reviewers.

*hangs head in shame*

I tried, I really tried.

ACTION COMICS 3-4... I'd enjoyed 1-2 but the whole anti-Superman sentiment just IS NOT working for me. In fact, in issue 4 I was skimming halfway through it.

I heard a LSH appearance is coming up... I'll hang around for that but then I'm afraid I'm done.

Frankenstein #4 - Despite nothing seeming to have substantially changed since last month, I enjoyed this issue a heck of a lot more. The commandos continue to battle their way across "Monster Planet", with a little artillery support from S.H.A.D.E in the form of War Wheels and G.I. Robots. It's wild and over the top and actually a lot of fun.

Mixed feelings on Demon Knights #4, with it's new origon for Shining Knight. I loved Morrison's take on the character in Seven Soldiers and to have retconned out in favour of this new origin isn't something I'm sure I like. I understand it serves the new series better, and ties into what is probably happening in Stormwatch (which I don't read), but it's not as cool as the S7 stuff. That said, Cornell has a good grasp on Ystina's character and plays with the multiple Camelots idea very well. I like that she's now a questing knight and that the grail as an idea (or ideal?) is what will drive her now. It will be interesting to see how she and the Queen mirror each other as they are drawn closer.

BATWOMAN #4: Boy, is this book beautiful to look at. Not so lovely this month for fans of Flamebird, however. Not without hope, though. The sight of Mr. Bones still leaves me shaking my head and sneering, a little bit.

DEMON KNIGHTS #4: A fine issue, examing the Shining Knight and Winged Victory (a bit). I like this character, but I want to know about Sir Justin, too. There's a last-page event that's pretty surprising, though it was hinted at in solicits. Imagine what an impact it might've had without those pesky, tempting blurbs. The Questing Queen and her roaming castle become more interesting...

FRANKENSTEIN, AGEN OF SHADE #4: All out general comic booky fun. I laughed a couple of times and had to stare a couple of times to figure out what was happening- which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Though, sometimes it is. It's related to whether the artist really knows and 'gets it', I think. I'm annoyed that Ray Palmer is like the ultimate case of 'what one thing doesn't belong', but at least he's a character that's appearing in the new DCU.

MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #3: Lord, is this Robotman powered up, or what? He mentions his old team, without specifically saying 'Doom Patrol', so I suppose the reader can choose to believe in their being around in the new DC or not. I wonder if the three characters on the cover are going to run into each other? What if this was the nucleus of the new Doom Patrol? And is the Maddie that's working for/crushing on Cliff Madame Rouge? Cliff runs into a couple of gorillas, making me wonder about Gorilla City. Is that still around?

THE RAY #1: A little comment about Happy Terrill's long-ago origin as The Ray, and the fact that the newspapars dubbed Lucien with the name goes a long way towards ameliating my initial distaste for the idea of a new Ray. What's here is an enjoyable comic- with a 'meta' sort of approach to an origin issue. Some of my fellow fans will appreciate the wrinkle that this character is *always* naked, but has learned to use light to disguise the fact. This is a guy who should be on a team-- he doesn't seem the 'loner' type.

THE SHADE #3: Why on earth isn't this selling? It's a fine book, artistically lovely and with a good story to tell that covers ground that's fairly untraveled- in either the old DC or the new. I guess that's possibly the reason for fewer readers... confusion about which continuity it takes place in. I'm not immure to that, myself. In this issue, The Shade makes an entertaining trip to Australia, remembering an earlier journey to the same destination. There, he meets a relative. Among others. And fights a humongous lizard-god. Who couldn't enjoy that? Reading about it, that is.

DC Universe Presents #4:

Far and away, the best comic book I've read so far this month. The dialogue during the roller coaster ride was both entertaining and throught provoking. Deadman's relationship with Rama, his purpose, and role in the DC are being redefined.

Dangit! I had decided to drop Stormwatch after #2, but somehow each issue kept appearing in my box and I just kept bringing them home. And now...NOW...with issue #5 they go and get me interested. Dangit!

Frankenstein Agent of SHADE #5 Max Lord and Checkmate contracts SHADE to help take out OMAC and Brother Eye. Frank is sent after OMAC while Father Time lays a trap for Brother eye in SHADENet. Frank and Shade seem to get the upper hand, though I suppose it's shown differently in the OMAC issues. I thought the art really let down what should have been a dynamic issue long brawl. Nothing really advances here, but Frankenstein does get some fun lines.

Demon Knights #5 - the Questing Queen and Mordru attempt to tempt away individual knights, with the obvious one turning on the group (or seeming to anyway, because it could just as obviously be a set up). We get a little more about Exoristos and Horsewoman, but it's mostly just setup for letting lose the giant Triceratops at the end of the issue. Still fun stuff, but I'm ready for the mayhem to start in earnest.